Chapter Summaries

Jian Mo and Wu Jiong bathed and combed Ying'ao and Jiujiu at a shallow lake after leaving the Thick Flow Tribe. They finished cleaning Jiujiu and prepared to dry it off and let it sleep.

• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong left the Thick Flow Tribe at night after telling Yi Sen they would set out rather than stay until morning.
• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong bathed Ying'ao, combed debris and shedding fur from its coat, then let it rest on shore.
• Jiujiu swam around the lake before asking to be combed, and Jian Mo told it to wait its turn.
• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong bathed and combed Jiujiu, praising it for sitting still as they scrubbed dirt and debris from its fur.
• Jian Mo finished Jiujiu's bath and told it to get out so they could dry it and let it sleep.

Jian Mo and Wu Jiong spent the night together by the lake, then woke to find a fish tormenting Jiujiu. Wu Jiong caught the fish, but Jiujiu’s bite failed to pierce its skin.

• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong went to the far side of the lake and stayed there together until their hair and fur dried.
• Jian Mo awoke the next morning and saw Jiujiu swimming while a large fish chased and nipped at Jiujiu’s tail.
• Jian Mo urged Jiujiu to fly, but Wu Jiong explained that Jiujiu could not take off from the water and went to help.
• Wu Jiong caught the nearly two-meter fish in his jaws after it tried to bite his nose.
• Jiujiu bit the captured fish, left deep tooth marks without breaking its skin, and backed away under Jian Mo and Wu Jiong’s gaze.

Jian Mo and Wu Jiong prepared a giant fish that Jiujiu had helped catch, then went for a walk while it stewed. They returned to find Jiujiu and Ying'ao guarding the pot, and Jian Mo served the cooked fish for breakfast.

• Jiujiu helped the giant wolf bring a giant fish ashore, and Wu Jiong killed and butchered it.
• Jian Mo noticed the fish had scaleless, collagen-rich skin and decided to stew it with seasonings.
• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong left Jiujiu and Ying'ao to guard the simmering pot while they searched the woods for food.
• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong picked ripe berries and returned to find the fish fully cooked, with unusual soft, cartilaginous bones.
• Jian Mo seasoned the stew with fried scallions and divided the fish among himself, Wu Jiong, Jiujiu, and Ying'ao for breakfast.

Jian Mo and Wu Jiong visited Qi Ming in the Rain Rising Tribe and learned that the tribe had been growing out-of-season vegetables in a warm mountain valley. Qi Ming led them to see the fields, where they found a secluded valley with waterfalls and hot and cold spring pools.

• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong shared a large lake fish with Jiujiu and discussed catching more fish to make dried fish.
• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong arrived at the Rain Rising Tribe, where members took Jiujiu and Ying'ao and directed them to Qi Ming.
• Qi Ming explained that he had grown vegetables for Zhou Zhi and later planted more to trade with other tribes.
• Qi Ming told Jian Mo and Wu Jiong that the vegetables grew in a warm valley near a hot spring and led them there.
• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong reached the mountainside valley, where they saw a waterfall and pools fed by hot and cold springs.

Jian Mo visited the Rain Rising Tribe’s vegetable valley with Wu Jiong and learned about its crops, then cooked a meal with the vegetables. He discussed soil fertility and pest control with Qi Ming and left considering how to help the tribe protect its crops.

• Qi Ming showed Jian Mo and Wu Jiong the valley’s vegetable plots and explained how the tribe cultivated different crops and seasonings.
• Jian Mo tasted the broadleaf garlic, picked vegetables to take home, and learned the crops grew quickly but slowed as the soil lost nutrients.
• Qi Ming told Jian Mo that insects were damaging the vegetables, and Jian Mo described the Riverside Tribe’s pesticide and suggested the Rain Rising Tribe try making one.
• Jian Mo borrowed a pan from Qi Ming and stir-fried several dishes, praising the vegetables’ tender, sweet taste.
• Qi Ming confirmed that he had planted vegetables mainly to encourage Chief Zhou Zhi to eat more.

Jian Mo negotiated with Qi Ming to help the Rain Rising Tribe find medicinal ingredients for a vegetable pesticide in exchange for a share of their crops and seeds. The next morning, Jian Mo led a lively group into the mountains, where they quickly found a plant he needed.

• Jian Mo agreed to spend two days helping Qi Ming identify medicinal ingredients and proposed payment in vegetables, seeds, and a share of the autumn and winter crops.
• Jian Mo wrote down pesticide formulas while Wu Jiong went to speak with the chubby chirpers and learned about the Cypress Branch Tribe's role in supplying vegetables.
• The chubby chirpers joined Jian Mo and the others on their trip into the mountains the following morning.
• A member of the Rain Rising Tribe spotted a stinky banban, and young people from both tribes dug it up and brought it to Jian Mo.

Jian Mo and the Rain Rising Tribe prepared three herbal pesticides and applied them to separate sections of the vegetable plot, planning to check the results the next morning. After sharing a hot-pot meal with the formerly hostile tribes, they set out at dawn to inspect the plot, with Jian Mo falling asleep on Wu Jiong’s back.

• Jian Mo identified choubanban and led the group to gather and process medicinal herbs into three pesticide formulas.
• Jian Mo diluted the three formulas and applied each to a separate marked section of the vegetable plot.
• The hunters returned with birds for soup and a Cave Beast, so Jian Mo agreed to make hot pot and stir-fry the beast.
• Jian Mo watched the two tribes enjoy dinner together, while the fat chirps flew home for the night.
• The fat chirps returned early the next morning to urge everyone to check the pesticides, and Jian Mo fell asleep on Wu Jiong’s back as they climbed the mountain.

Jian Mo settled on a solution that controlled insects without seriously harming vegetables, and arranged to bring herbs home to test further formulas. On the journey back, he and Wu Jiong stopped at Snow Water Lake, where Jiujiu and Ying'ao drove fish toward Wu Jiong to catch.

• Jian Mo compared the vegetable plots and decided to use the remaining formula while continuing to look for improvements.
• Qi Ming agreed to pay Jian Mo with vegetable seedlings, seeds, and a tenth of the year's vegetables, and let him take gathered medicinal herbs back to the tribe.
• Wan Zheng and the fat chirps decided to accompany Jian Mo and trade supplies at the Tianning Tribe and Mengshui Tribe on the way to the Riverside Tribe.
• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong headed for the wild lake by the Snow Foot Tribe to catch big fish, while Jian Mo stayed on shore and Jiujiu and Ying'ao entered the water to drive the fish toward Wu Jiong.

Jian Mo, Wu Jiong, and their companions caught and prepared fish before reaching the Tianning Tribe after dark, where Jiujiu shared its meal with Dala—then angrily reclaimed its bowl. Jian Mo calmed the Flying-Winged Beasts, fed them dried meat, and went to sleep with Wu Jiong.

• Jiujiu and Ying'ao helped catch seven large fish, which Wu Jiong cleaned and Jian Mo seasoned before they continued toward the Tianning Tribe.
• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong reached the Tianning Tribe after moonrise and cooked meat for Jiujiu and Ying'ao.
• Dala eyed Jiujiu's food, and Jiujiu offered its bowl, but snatched it back when Dala took a mouthful.
• Jian Mo gave Dala and Ying'ao dried meat, then fed Jiujiu and told the companions not to fight.
• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong washed up and returned to their room to sleep.

Jian Mo and Wu Jiong traded with Huan Yu at the Tianning Tribe, exchanging supplies for decorated pottery jars and discussing the growing connections between tribes. They left before noon to return to the Riverside Tribe and process the throat eyeballs.

• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong visited Huan Yu and traded cloth, seasonings, dried meat, and metal for small pottery jars.
• Huan Yu told Jian Mo that other tribes were trading for pottery and that the Cypress Branch Tribe carried goods and sick people between tribes.
• Huan Yu said several tribes had reserved Flying-Winged Beast cubs, and Jian Mo hoped they would be treated well.
• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong finished trading, ate breakfast, and left the Tianning Tribe with the fat chirps and their supplies.
• Wu Jiong carried the sleeping Jian Mo on Jiujiu while Ying'ao flew with the supplies; they rested on a grassland at noon before continuing home.

Jian Mo and Wu Jiong returned to the Riverside Tribe after trading, and Jian Mo began preparing medicine from the Throat Eyeballs they had gathered. He caught up on the tribe’s recent activities and learned that several tribes had begun growing crops, while the chapter ended with Qing Kuo asking what Jian Mo would do with Flour Fruit gifted by the Yigu Tribe.

• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong parted from the fat jiujus near the Mengshui Tribe’s territory and flew back to the Riverside Tribe, greeting Mengshui Tribe cubs along the way.
• The Riverside Tribe’s cubs welcomed Jian Mo and Wu Jiong home and told Jian Mo about recent events, including a visitor seeking treatment and the last Pearl Algae harvest of the year.
• Jian Mo sorted their supplies and began cooking ointment from the Throat Eyeballs and Kunzhi Tree sap, while the cubs helped carry firewood and Qing Kuo brought them dinner.
• Jian Mo told Qing Kuo about the Rain Rising Tribe’s hot-spring vegetables and pesticide, and Qing Kuo explained that the Mengshui, Ice River, and other tribes had started growing crops.
• Qing Kuo told Jian Mo that the Yigu Tribe had given him baskets of Flour Fruit, and Jian Mo said they would visit to thank them before Qing Kuo asked whether he would make cakes or brew wine.

Jian Mo was woken from his planned day of rest when Yun Long and people from the Mengshui Tribe came to ask for help with their struggling crops. He identified their sandy soil as the problem and recommended a more fertile field, leaving them with a clearer plan for planting.

• Jian Mo finished making scar-removal salve with the others, then rested with Wu Jiong.
• The little cubs brought Yun Long and the fat jius to Jian Mo’s home, interrupting his attempt to sleep in.
• Yun Long asked Jian Mo to inspect the Mengshui Tribe’s thin, yellowing crops, and Jian Mo agreed to go with them.
• Jian Mo examined the vegetables planted beside the river and found that they were growing in sandy, poorly fertile soil.
• Jian Mo advised Yun Long to plant crops on the fertile flat land across from the tribe instead of using the unsuitable riverbank.

Jian Mo helped Yun Long and the Mengshui Tribe prepare farmland and obtain fertilizer, seedlings, and seeds, then traded medicines and snacks with people in the Riverside Tribe. The chapter ended with Jian Mo hearing that a weak newborn cub in the Sharp Teeth Tribe might have a congenital deficiency.

• Jian Mo taught Yun Long and the Mengshui Tribe how to clear the land, make planting ridges, and use fermented manure as fertilizer.
• Jian Mo gave the Mengshui Tribe fertilizer, seedlings, and crop seeds, and Yun Long promised to bring supplies in exchange.
• Jian Mo traded scar-removing ointment and medicinal oil, and he sent snacks to Ji Xun and Zhou Zhi, who returned gifts.
• Jian Mo heard visitors discuss a tiny, weak little beastman cub in the Sharp Teeth Tribe and wondered whether the cub had a congenital deficiency.

Jian Mo examined a frail cub from the Sharp Teeth Tribe after asking them to bring him in. The cub's organs seemed normal, and Jian Mo listened to Zhu Chan, a healthy leopard, for comparison.

• Jian Mo asked the Mountain Bright Tribe visitors to tell the Sharp Teeth Tribe to bring the weak cub for a checkup.
• Qing Kuo questioned whether Jian Mo was confident treating cubs, and Jian Mo said he would seek help from the Stored Star Tribe if needed.
• Shan Dun brought the cub and his parents, Minta and the cub's other father, to Jian Mo's clinic.
• Jian Mo examined the cub with a stethoscope and found no obvious problems with his organs, though the sounds were faint.
• Jian Mo asked Zhu Chan to take his leopard form and listened to his healthy internal organs for comparison.

Jian Mo investigated why Minta and Tuming’s cub Nianshan was weak and unable to keep down meat broth. He suspected a meat allergy and prepared egg custard to test once Nianshan woke.

• Jian Mo examined Nianshan and found that the cub was well developed but weak, while Minta and Tuming explained that he barely ate and often vomited.
• Jian Mo watched Minta and Tuming prepare fresh meat broth, but Nianshan resisted it and threw up after being fed.
• Jian Mo examined Nianshan again and found him feverish, unusually unresponsive, and marked with red, hot skin.
• Jian Mo suspected Nianshan might be allergic to meat and decided to test another food.
• Jian Mo steamed egg custard from bird eggs and told everyone to wait until Nianshan woke before trying to feed it to him.

Jian Mo helped Minta and Tuming discover that their cub could eat egg custard and tolerate several foods, though he remained allergic to much beast meat and many nuts. As the little snow leopard grew plump and healthy, Jian Mo grew fond of caring for him, while Wu Jiong teased him about whether he would still play with the cub later.

• Jian Mo advised Minta and Tuming to keep their cub at the Riverside Tribe until his health improved, and the Sharp Teeth Tribe members returned home.
• The Riverside Tribe gave Minta and Tuming a house and welcomed them into its activities while Jian Mo helped them test different foods for the cub.
• Jian Mo discovered that the cub could eat poultry, fish, birds' eggs, and Pack-Pack Beast milk, but not much beast meat or many nuts.
• Minta and Tuming fed the cub eight meals a day, and he grew plump and lively.
• The little snow leopard regularly climbed into Jian Mo's lap and slept in his arms, and Jian Mo enjoyed caring for him.
• Wu Jiong questioned whether Jian Mo would still play with the cub when he grew older, and Jian Mo said he would before Wu Jiong tapped him on the forehead.

Jian Mo reassured Wu Jiong that he came first and continued treating the rescued snow leopard cub while keeping Wu Jiong's feelings in mind. He worked on a witch doctor textbook and soothed the Riverside Tribe cubs' worries that he belonged to everyone, then examined Gui Qin's cough and found it was only a mild chill.

• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong agreed that the snow leopard cub should return to Minta and Tuming, and Jian Mo reassured Wu Jiong that he came first in his heart.
• Jian Mo explained to visitors that treating the cub had helped him gain experience, and he continued writing a textbook combining his medical knowledge with the local witch doctor system.
• Jian Mo invited the tribe's cubs inside and laughed when they said they did not want to study to become witch doctors.
• Bai Lu complained that Xing Yuan said Jian Mo was everyone's witch doctor, so Jian Mo told the cubs he treated their tribe for free and gave them special care.
• Zhou Dao asked Jian Mo to prescribe bitter medicine for Gui Qin, but Jiang Xing revealed that Zhou Dao had argued with him after a fight.
• Jian Mo examined Gui Qin after lessons and found his cough came from a slight chill that would clear up on its own.

Jian Mo prepared to teach and recruit witch doctor students, drawing applicants from many nearby and distant tribes. After explaining to Ban Ming why so many people wanted to study, Jian Mo reflected on how knowledge might spread as the tribes’ civilization developed.

• Jian Mo told Wu Jiong he was ready to begin teaching, and Wu Jiong agreed to help spread the word among the tribes.
• A Hu and other Riverside Tribe members signed up, followed by applicants from nearby tribes and then more distant ones.
• Ban Ming asked Jian Mo why everyone wanted to become a witch doctor, and Jian Mo explained that people were seeking knowledge and could discover other interests as civilization developed.
• Ban Ming accepted Jian Mo’s explanation and ran off, while Wu Jiong embraced Jian Mo and they discussed what kinds of lessons the beastmen might want.

Jian Mo began assessing the 341 people who had come to study medicine, teaching them how to identify and gather yangbai responsibly. As the first candidates returned with the wrong plants or careless harvesting, Jian Mo judged that many would fail on the first day.

• Jian Mo brought ingredients to Qing Kuo and the others as a personal gift, then watched Dan Guan spar with Jiu Yin at the arena.
• Jian Mo, Qing Kuo, and Wu Jiong organized 341 prospective students into ten groups for the first assessment.
• Jian Mo showed the candidates yangbai and explained how to identify, gather, and preserve it without damaging young plants or stripping a patch bare.
• The candidates searched the mountains while Jiujiu and Ying'ao patrolled overhead, and Jian Mo's group waited at the foot of the mountain.
• Jian Mo scored the returning candidates and found that some had collected the wrong plants, damaged the herbs, or picked every plant they found; none of those candidates passed.

Jian Mo’s demanding witch doctor lessons reduced the group of prospective students to just over fifty, while Wu Jiong recruited some of the visitors who had withdrawn to teach practical skills to cubs. The visitors agreed to help and discussed setting up classes in their own tribes.

• Jian Mo treated injuries during the first day of herb gathering, explained the demands of a witch doctor’s work, and eliminated or saw two-thirds of the candidates withdraw.
• Jian Mo tested the remaining 113 students on herb names and effects the next day, and the roster shrank to a little over fifty as more people withdrew.
• Jian Mo reassured Qing Kuo that he was not worried about the smaller group, though his voice had grown hoarse from teaching and testing.
• Wu Jiong invited capable visitors, including Mian Ya, Heng Wu, and Jiang Xie, to teach traps, bird identification, and wrestling to the cubs.
• The invited visitors accepted, and Wu Jiong suggested that nearby tribes could cooperate to run classes for their cubs.